Going across the pond for some inspiration with this pale ale (don't know why they decided to call it a "bitter" because mine sure as hell isn't going to be! Well at least I hope not...). Looking for a smooth drinking, slightly nutty, hint of caramel, and a touch of floral/light citrus ale out of this recipe.
LBBP Premium Bitter - brewed on 11/19/2011 - Crisp Pale Ale - 3 lbs, 3 oz - Simpsons Golden Naked Oats - 6 oz - Crisp Crystal Malt 60L - 6 oz - Weyermann Munich Type II - 3 oz - Briess Victory - 2 oz - Kent Goldings, UK Pellets .625 oz @ 60 mins - Kent Goldings, UK Pellets .375 oz @ 20 mins - Kent Goldings, UK Pellets .25 oz @ 7 mins - Pacman yeast slurry
ACTUAL based on 72% eff: OG 1.041 - IBU: 30 - abv: 4%
Will be doing a 60 min mash at between 149-152°, followed by a 10 min mash out at 170°
ferment through 11/29-12/1 - bottle in a couple large PETs and some glass 12 oz carb/condition through (hopefully they're ready) 12/21, then off to the fridge test on Christmas Eve 12/24 - if it is ready, the large PET bottles are going to the family party the next day!
~update 1/24/2012~ well the bitter was just about ready for the Christmas party, so I brought it along. Go figure...it was only a big hit to myself, as well as my 2 brothers. A few people sampled it, said they liked it, then proceeded to drink Lager. So it is what it is. Here are my notes: cloudy copper colored pour with a fluffy off-white head that disipated into a thin film that clung a bit to the sides of the glass. The nose was faintly sweet with a hint of wild berries...as in, not huge in the aroma department. Had to take a close whiff to get in there and pick out some notes. The beer is medium bodied, offers a slightly sweet and toasty initial flavor up front, and that is followed with touches of lemon and wild berries. That is while the beer is still cold. As it warmed up, the flavors did not really change or evolve...they just flip-flopped. Interesting! So it isn't a bad effort, but I think the recipe can stand some tweaking.